Morality
“Anyone who can argue that morality is NOT objective is someone I don't want around my children. If someone can argue that morality is not objective, then they are arguing that any action may be justifiable, including rape, child abuse, sadism, etc.Can anyone really argue that it would be acceptable to rape a child, under the right circumstances?” - Dr. Bob The Bible doesn't give us morality. People had morality prior to the Bible, and they had it in cultures without the Bible. When we study people groups and cultures, we find that morality is very similar, throughout time. We have far more in common than we do in difference. We may differ about small aspects of morality (like the number of marriages that are reasonable) but we agree that a man shouldn't have any woman that he wants. This is true despite the fact that cultures, gender roles, age roles, religions, races, etc. all differ! 'Morality from Cultures ' When we compare cultures, we find that some things really are wrong, and deep down we all know it. To argue that there is not an absolute sense of morality in humans is to argue that child abuse, rape, and pedophilia are not really wrong. And we know that since cultures differ, since age and gender roles differ, since religions differ, since historical periods and sensibilities differ, morality is not culturally-based. 'Morality from Evolution' It's also clear that morality doesn't come from evolution. Even the evolutionary psychologists don't claim that morality is an evolved trait; they attempt to explain it as a social adaptation. Morality is not a "herd instinct" that protects the group. Just when it's least advantageous or when it makes the most sense for us to protect ourselves, we do the dangerous thing like rushing into traffic to save a child, dashing into a burning building, diving on a grenade to save our buddies. We risk our own survival to do what's right, even while our every instinct says "Run!" or "Keep out!" We risk great personal harm for the benefit of others, even when we don't have a vested genetic interest in them. We have this outlandish sense of how we should behave. Animals don't have this problem. They behave by instinct. Humans fight within themselves over what appears to be an instinct. And yet, despite this, humans are clearly unable to behave the way they think they should. 'Objective Morality' The uniformity of human morality is actually an argument in favor of God's existence. Objective morality requires an external source ... and that's God. 1. If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist. 2. Objective moral values DO exist. 3. Therefore, God exists. 'Where does morality come from?' There are three possibilities; culture, evolution, or morality is objective. We know it cannot come from culture, because that diversity cannot explain the consistency in morality. Likewise, it cannot come from instinct or evolutionary means. Evolution would require us to protect ourselves and those we have a genetically vested interest in, as a form of survival. So the only other option is that morality is objective and external to us. There are real absolutes of right and wrong, and deep down we all know this. If there is not an absolute right and wrong, then that means that rape, child abuse and other such atrocities are really acceptable, depending upon your point of view. Can you really argue that these things are not always wrong?!? And thus, that sense of external, objective moral values strongly implies that there is a God that defines what is right and wrong. 'Related Topics' *Evil *Euthyphro Dilemma *Image of God *Problem of Evil *Proof that God Exists Category:Dr. Bobisms